Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) in the
Workplace - SANDAS
Position Paper No.5
This position paper aims to raise awareness in employers, the paid and unpaid Australian workforce
on the impact of Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD). It recommends appropriate training and the use
of specialised programs to ensure managers, supervisors, safety committees and workers contribute
to a safe work place and safe practices. Workplaces and sites are encouraged to develop a
framework to manage and support workers with AOD issues. This may include developing
guidelines and policies addressing the dominant workplace culture of accepting AOD use or turning
a blind eye. Equal caution should be given to the misuse of prescription drugs. It is paramount to
keep in mind that any loss or harm that results from the misuse of alcohol or drugs in the workplace
impacts heavily on others, family including children, colleagues and community.
Whilst recognising that workplaces have a responsibility under the Workplace Health and Safety Act
2012, SANDAS advocates that employers provide alternate approaches other than zero tolerance. It
is important for all staff to be able to raise issues that can affect their work without fear and if
required, be able to access appropriate programs of support to protect their well-being and the
investment the employer has made in them.
Background:
According to SA Health - Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia (DASSA), it is estimated that:

Alcohol is a contributing factor in approximately 6 per cent of work-related fatalities in South
Australia, with other drugs accounting for approximately 3 per cent of work-related fatalities

3-11 per cent of work-related injuries nationally are alcohol related, with drug-related workplace
accidents costing approximately $1.3 billion each year

Annually more than 4 per cent of Australians go to work affected by alcohol, and 2 per cent of
Australians go to work affected by illicit drugs

Approximately 6 per cent of Australians report their usual place of alcohol consumption is their
workplace
1
SANDAS considers these statistics to be understated as research shows many people under report
AOD use.
Alcohol remains the most widely consumed drug in Australia and causes the greatest harm. Most
workplaces are drug free zones but the same cannot be said for alcohol. “Drinks on site” cultures
may have changed and be restricted to events such as Christmas breakup, however, people affected
by alcohol or a hangover are still present and posing injury and productivity risks. Workplaces are
often not skilled in identifying the signs of AOD issues or confident around how to manage or
support people.
1
Alcohol and Other Drugs in the Workplace http://www.dassa.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=153
Page 1 of 5
The total economic cost of work-related injuries and illnesses in Australia for the 2008–09 financial
year is estimated to be $60.6 billion dollars, representing 4.8 per cent of GDP for the 2008–09
2
financial year. In addition to direct costs such as worker compensation premiums, indirect costs
include lost productivity, loss of current and future earnings, lost potential output, the cost of
providing social welfare programs for injured or incapacitated workers, loss of morale, reputation
and knowledge retention.
Safe Work Australia published a 5 point scale of workplace injury is as follows.
1.
Short absence - less than 5 days off work being a minor work-related injury or illness, after
which the worker was able to resume full duties.
2.
Long absence – 5 days or more off work and return to work on full duties
3.
Partial incapacity – 5 days or more off work and return to work on reduced
duties or lower income
4.
Full incapacity - permanently incapacitated with no return to work
5.
Fatality - a work-related injury or disease, which results in death.
3
The cost estimates in various studies exclude costs that cannot be specifically related to injury or
illness such as damage to property and loss of company image and reputation from incidents
related to AOD misuse. Also these do not include litigation and legal costs and payouts related to
inappropriate workplace behaviour such as sexual harassment or physical violence and bullying
under the influence.
Research shows that a drop in alcohol intake from the average 9.8 litres per adult per year to 6.4
litres can result in economic and health gains in workplace productivity, the home, and social and
emotional wellbeing.

Potential cost savings of $789 million in the health sector,

$427 million in workforce productivity

$21 million in home-based productivity

98,000 (35 per cent) less cases of disease

380 (38 per cent) less deaths related to long term high risk levels of alcohol consumption
and

21,000 (34 per cent) less healthy years of life lost as a result of this risk factor.

Five million fewer working days lost and a drop of 54,000 lost days of household duties
would be possible.
4
However, it is not the heavy drinkers or people dependent on alcohol who are mostly responsible
for the wide base of cost impacts. It was found that light or light-to-moderate drinkers cause the
most problems with more than half of all alcohol-related problems in the workplace caused by light
2
http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/statistics/cost-injury-illness/pages/cost-injury-illness
3
The Cost of work related injury and illness , for Australian Employers workers and the community 2008/09.
Safework Australia 2012
4
Economic and health savings to be made if Australian adults cut their alcohol consumption by five standard
drinks a week: 18 May 2012. Deakin University Australia
Page 2 of 5
drinkers, and 87 per cent by light-to-moderate drinkers. Experience shows that people often do not
understand the effects of even a small amount of alcohol due to the individual variations in alcohol
sensitivity and metabolism or lack of knowledge about what a standard alcoholic drink is. The
largest drain on productivity comes from hangovers.
Studies in other countries show similar estimates for the annual cost of alcohol ingestion: Australia,
$3.8
billion;
New
Zealand,
$331
million;
and
the
United
States,
$148
billion.
5
The stigma of alcohol dependence in the workplace can lead to significant disadvantage for the
worker and ultimately the workplace.
Research shows that alcohol dependant people are
considered to be more responsible for their condition than someone with a mental health condition.
They provoke more social rejection and more negative emotions. They are often seen by colleagues
to present dangers and threats similar to those perceptions of people living with schizophrenia.
6
This leads to tensions on worksites and threatens team unity and productivity.
Dependency/Addiction/Compulsions are complex disorders which are considered to be health
conditions. The International Classification of Diseases registered dependency/alcoholism as a
disease under both psychiatric and medical sections. According to the disease model, the onset and
development of addictions are influenced through genetic predisposition and environmental
factors, rather than merely a matter of choice. SANDAS endorses the proposition that drug
dependencies, including alcoholism, are diseases and that their treatment is a legitimate part of
medicine.
It has also been found 60 per cent of people with problematic alcohol consumption do not seek
help due to the stigma of alcohol dependence. Epidemiologic surveys have shown people with
problematic alcohol consumption who perceived an alcohol misuse stigma were less likely to seek
treatment than those who did not and this was more so among men, racial and ethnic minorities,
and participants with lower income and education.
7
If workers are not able to address their AOD
issues the potential for prolonged and worsening absence rates and poor performance increases,
leading to more complex risk scenarios and costly resolutions.
Workers who remain without help and support can continue to further drive down productivity as
well as suffer emotional pain. They remove themselves or are forced to leave the labour market due
to their condition. For the last decade there has been growing evidence
that shows with
preventative workplace programs, economic productivity and broader social gains can be made.
8
5
Hangovers - A Pain in the Workplace : Businesses Pay in Decreased Productivity. By Buddy T, About.com
Guide. Updated March 18, 2012. About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the
Medical Review Board
6
Schomerus, G et al. 2010. The Stigma of Alcohol Dependence Compared with Other Mental Disorders: A
Review of Population Studies, 2010 Oxford Journals,Medicine ,Alcohol and Alcoholism,Volume 46, Issue 2,
Pp. 105-112
7
Authors and year uncited. ’Alcoholic’ Stigma Keeps Many Problem Drinkers From Seeking Treatment. A
December issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology
8
Richmond, R et al. 2000. Evaluation of a Workplace Brief Intervention for Excessive Alcohol Consumption:
The Workscreen Project. Preventive Medicine Volume 30, Issue 1, January 2000, Pages 51–63
Page 3 of 5
In the face of such evidence there still exists an inclination to punish substance misuse. For
transformation to occur there must be social and policy change. The workplace can be a significant
contributor to that change.
A growing practice in employment across all sectors is to expand the use of Employee Assistance
Programs (EAPs) to include issues of AOD misuse where they impact on performance and fitness for
work. Such programs recognise that an investment in addressing the problems limits the loss of
investment in an employee and associated production capacity, more so than removing the
employee permanently.
South Australian programs and the NGO Sector:
The Healthy Workers Healthy Futures initiative is an SA Health strategy funded by the Australian
Government under the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health. The initiative aims to
encourage SA workers to address chronic disease risk factors of smoking, nutrition, alcohol and
physical activity.
In 2012 the South Australian government launched the Healthy Living Program (HLP) with attention
to the work place. The general themes and directions of HLP include

Good health equals good business

Creating a healthier workplace

Healthy workers healthy futures program and toolkit

Responsible drinking and how to help employees and how to get started and build support
program in the workplace and pointing to helpful resources.
The Healthy Workers Healthy Future initiative has appointed Healthy Workers Advisers across
industry sectors to support organisations in the non-government health and community services
sector,
SANDAS
and
industry
encourages
to
people
improve
to
look
the
at
health
this
and
productivity
program
and
to
of
their
promote
its
staff.
use.
South Australia already has award winning Industry Drug & Alcohol Programs and Policy. SANDAS
does not endorse any particular program or policy as each one is developed in consideration of the
sector or industry’s particular conditions.
The Website has many examples of how to develop AOD workplace policies. Google “workplace
drug and alcohol policies and programs” or follow these links to examine some of those initiatives.
Government alcohol and other drugs management policies and procedures
http://www.fsc.gov.au/sites/fsc/resources/az/pages/alcoholotherdrugsmanagementpolicies
Foundation House - The Construction Industry Drug & Alcohol Foundation Treatment Centre
http://foundationhouse.net.au/wordpress/?page_id=16
Policy Talk - Workplace alcohol and other drug programs - July 2013
http://www.adf.org.au/policy-advocacy
Page 4 of 5
It should be remembered that not all AOD impacts relate to machinery or manual risks. Working
with financial systems and procedures or customer contact while under the influence can also result
in major losses of productivity or income. Workers may also be impaired from sleep deprivation,
hang over, post effects of prescribed medication, stress and not necessarily active intoxication.
Workplaces are encouraged to develop resources and implement policies that provide and support:

Safety

Harm reduction

Taking responsibility

Education

Changing attitudes

Referral for treatment
The workplace AOD misuse profile of blue collar industries is of particular concern to the NGO
sector. Many AOD programs are funded by government and located in areas of higher social
disadvantage, where construction, manufacturing and other VET based jobs provide the main
employment options for many longer term unemployed people, or people with comorbid profiles
needing or being forced into to work as part of Social Security policy to reduce dependence on
Newstart and the Disability Support Pension.
The movement in and out of work type, and the frequency of change is higher as well. People
entering these employment opportunities may then have a greater risk of dependence and relapse.
SANDAS supports the view that AOD is only one form of impairment in the workplace that can lead
to risks. As such, it is suggested workplaces would develop more inclusive Fitness for Work
responses which address factors such as heat/noise stress, illness, exposure to chemicals and
general fatigue as well as acute emotional states.
For further consultation with SANDAS please contact Victoria Monahan [email protected] or
Andris Banders [email protected] telephone 08 8231 8818.
While efforts have been made to incorporate and represent the views of all our member organisations,
the position presented in this paper are those solely of SANDAS.
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